It’s 2 am and I’m not sure why I can’t sleep, but it seems to be a rather common occurrence for me as of late. So I get up and read, pray, and write. It seems I can hear my Father better; it’s quiet, unlike any other part of the day around here. So what is on my mind tonight or should I say this morning? Some call it “The Last Days” or better known as the End Times. Why? Several reasons: one is that I believe we are living in the last days/end times. I believe I will be here for Jesus Christ’s return. I always have believed that; it makes me odd in the church today I think. I remember a survey done in my Sunday school class 5 yrs or so ago. We were asked if we thought we would be alive when Jesus returned. To my surprise I was in the vast minority. I could hardly believe it. Let me use this analogy from scripture. The Church is the Bride of Christ, Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom. If you do not expect the Bridegroom to come for you, are you going to be preparing yourself for Him? NO, probably not, and you will not be ready when HE comes for HIS Bride. You’re going to be busy doing everything else but what HE has asked/commanded you to do to prepare yourself as beautiful radiant, holy, pure bride. I believe we are to prepare individually as well as corporately. Personally I don’t care if your pre-tribulation or post-tribulation or somewhere in between. Are you doing what GOD has called you to do? Do you care if your relative or neighbor is going to hell or are you too concerned about global-warming or maybe you care more about animal welfare than peoples souls? Maybe it’s you just care more about your 401k or your IRA or the next toy you’re going to buy. Or are you just leaving it up to someone else to be a witness for Christ? That does not mean just deeds but also WORDS. I probably sound self-righteous right now; but the fact is the Spirit is convicting my heart as I type for all the times I have failed to speak. There needs to be a combination of words and actions. If you have not read the book of James in a while, I would strongly encourage you to do so. Paul also addresses similar issues in his letters to the churches.
Let me get back to a question I have: if you are pre-tribulation and you are wrong, what will that do to your faith? I kind of like a statement I heard the other day regarding this it was: “pray for pre- but plan for post”. I like that statement. I find it interesting that a lot of the same verses the pre-trib people use to make their points are the same ones the post-trib people use to make theirs. Same verse, different interpretation. But of course whatever teaching you are under must be the right one, right? Did you study it yourself or do you just believe what you are told? I’m learning not to say someone is wrong in their theology just because I may not agree, because I may not have taken the time to study it myself. The question that must also be asked is it a minor issue or a major issue (whether you are pre or post)? According to Scripture, not major, as Jesus said in Mark 13:32, “No one knows about that day or hour, not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” We can’t know the exact time or hour, but there are signs/birth pains. Mark 13:8 says: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.” There are signs of the birth pains increasing (how about over a half a dozen earthquakes in the world in the last month, look at the world news and the unrest in the world and so much more), and those should be a wake-up call to us all. Just remember knowledge is wonderful, but what really matters is what you do with it!
Well, I got to bed at 3:30am. Now imagine my surprise when I got up in the morning and checked the news online and the top story is the Vatican declaring the latest mortal sin “ruining the environment”. And below that in another head line, the Southern Baptists issue a call to fight climate change. Now do not get me wrong, I don’t think we should destroy the earth. The truth is we cannot and we won’t. The Bible is clear: God is going to do that! The Bible also says that “we are to have dominion over the land”. The earth is NOT a god! Many though have made the earth an idol and are worshiping her. That is wrong and that is sin! I wonder, does anyone else see that the devil is distracting and turning the church away from God to worship and serve false gods/idols? Wake up people! We are called to be good stewards of what God has given us, not to worship or idolize it. These are false doctrines being taught in our seminaries and in the pulpits in many places across our world.
The church as a whole is in store for a very large divide. There will be two very clear sides and the chasm between will be deep and wide. How can I say that? Once you go down the road of false doctrine it will eventually become heresy, it is a very, very slippery slope. We must hold fast to the inerrancy of Scripture, to the clear commands of GOD/JESUS. If you are not sure what they are, open your Bible and read.
4 comments:
Oh boy, where to begin. First, the Vatican business: basically, the British press made absolute hash of certain statements made by a certain lower-tier Vatican official. (Click here and here for details.) Second, that business you quote in v. 8 is preceded by v. 7: And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet" (KJV). Third, there have been disasters in Western history beyond belief, which makes recent earthquakes pale in comparison: the Black Death, the Muslim Conquests, the Barbarian Invasions and sackings of Rome, the 30 Years War, etc etc.
Basically, Mark 13 is more about the destruction of the Temple than the end of the world (cf. vv. 13.1-4). I would maintain that Mark 13.1-23 and 28-31 concern the destruction of the Temple, while 13.24-27 and 32-37 concern the end of the world. (And that is not an idiosyncratic perspective.)
Unfortunately, Leroy, I think you missed the whole point of the post. I could, and did, start writing some specifics back as to what you said. But this is the point: CHRIST IS COMING BACK! What are you doing about it? I believe I am going to be here when Christ comes back. Most churches state in their statement of faiths that they believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. The sad thing is, most people don’t think He is coming back soon-they’ve got plenty of time. So do you really think they are doing what they are suppose to be doing? No, let’s worry about this or that instead. There are a lot more people worried about saving trees than children.
I am not predicting a date or time, or prophesying anything. I am doing what I am called to do and that is share what the Holy Spirit has laid on my heart and to shout it from the mountaintops (or blogosphere!). I am sending out a warning-we are getting away from Scripture. There are a lot of false doctrines being preached, whether from the pulpit or in the seminary classroom-and this is in all denominations-Lutheran, E Free, Catholic, Southern Baptists, etc. I do not want to be (nor anyone else for that matter!) one of the 5 foolish virgins who was not prepared.
What am I doing? Same thing I try to do every day. Live as a faithful Christian. But you're right about certain churches and individuals being distracted from what should be their core mission. Here's something from CS Lewis I just love:
[Transforming persons into little Christs] is the whole of Christianity. There is nothing else. It is so easy to get muddled about that. It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objectives -- education, building, missions, holding services. The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him.
I do really enjoy CS Lewis and I think he’s right. A friend of mine is playing Jesus in the Easter play at our church. A few of them were on the radio the other day and he was asked if it wasn’t intimidating playing Jesus. He said “no, it’s convicting, because it just reminds me how I’m supposed to live everyday”.
I believe those being distracted and getting off track need to be called out on it and it needs to be brought to light and dealt with. Knowing something is wrong and remaining silent is no better than being a participant in it.
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